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CategoryIranianscientists

JabiribnHayyan,oneofthemostnotableislamischemists

AbuMusaJabiribnHayyan(Arabic:)(c.721c.815),knownalsobyhisLatinisednameGeber,wasaprominentIslamicalchemist,pharmacist,philosopher,astronomer,andphysicist.HisethnicbackgroundisPersian.IbnHayyaniswidelycreditedwiththeintroductionoftheexperimentalmethodintoalchemy,andwiththeinventionofnumerousimportantprocessesstillusedinmodernchemistrytoday,suchasthesynthesesofhydrochloricandnitricacids,distillation,andcrystallisation.Hisoriginalworksarehighlyesotericandprobablycoded,thoughnobodytodayknowswhatthecodeis.Onthesurface,hisalchemicalcareerrevolvedaroundanelaboratechemicalnumerologybasedonconsonantsintheArabicnamesofsubstancesandtheconceptoftakwin,theartificialcreationoflifeinthealchemicallaboratory.

Biography

JabirwasborninTus,Khorasan,inIran,thenundertheruleoftheUmayyadCaliphatethedateofhisbirthisdisputed,butmostsourcesgive721or722.HayyanhadsupportedtherevoltingAbbasidsagainsttheUmayyads.HewaseventuallycaughtbytheUmmayadsandexecuted.JabirgrewupandstudiedtheKoran,mathematicsandothersubjectsunderascholarnamedHarbialHimyari.AftertheAbbasidstookpower,JabirwentbacktoKufa,wherehespentmostofhiscareer.

Jabir'sfather'sprofessionmayhavecontributedgreatlytohisinterestinalchemy.InKufahebecameastudentofthecelebratedIslamicteacherandsixthImamJa'faralSadiq.Hebeganhiscareerpractisingmedicine,underthepatronageoftheBarmakidVizirofCaliphHarounalRashid.Itisknownthatin776hewasengagedinalchemyinKufa.

HisconnectionstotheBarmakidcosthimdearlyintheend.Whenthatfamilyfellfromgracein803,JabirwasplacedunderhousearrestinKufa,whereheremaineduntilhisdeath.Thedateofhisdeathisgivenasc.815bytheEncyclopdiaBritannica,butas808byothersources.

Contributionstochemistry

Jabirismostlyknownforhiscontributionstochemistry.Heemphasisedsystematicexperimentation,anddidmuchtofreealchemyfromsuperstitionandturnitintoascience.Heiscreditedwiththeinventionofmanytypesofnowbasicchemicallaboratoryequipment,andwiththediscoveryanddescriptionofmanynowcommonplacechemicalsubstancesandprocessessuchasthehydrochloricandnitricacids,distillation,andcrystallisationthathavebecomethefoundationoftoday'schemistryandchemicalengineering.

HealsopavedthewayformostofthelaterIslamicalchemists,includingRazi,TughraiandalIraqi,wholivedinthe9th,12thand13thcenturiesrespectively.HisbooksstronglyinfluencedthemedievalEuropeanalchemistsandjustifiedtheirsearchforthephilosopher'sstone.

Inspiteofhisleaningstowardmysticism(hewasconsideredaSufi)andsuperstition,hemoreclearlyrecognisedandproclaimedtheimportanceofexperimentation."Thefirstessentialinchemistry",hedeclared,"isthatyoushouldperformpracticalworkandconductexperiments,forhewhoperformsnotpracticalworknormakesexperimentswillneverattaintheleastdegreeofmastery."

Jabirisalsocreditedwiththeinventionanddevelopmentofseveralchemicalinstrumentsthatarestillusedtoday,suchasthealembic,whichmadedistillationeasy,safe,andefficient.Bydistillingvarioussaltstogetherwithsulfuricacid,Jabirdiscoveredhydrochloricacid(fromsalt)andnitricacid(fromsaltpeter).Bycombiningthetwo,heinventedaquaregia,oneofthefewsubstancesthatcandissolvegold.Besidesitsobviousapplicationstogoldextractionandpurification,thisdiscoverywouldfuelthedreamsanddespairofalchemistsforthenextthousandyears.Heisalsocreditedwiththediscoveryofcitricacid(thesourcomponentoflemonsandotherunripefruits),aceticacid(fromvinegar),andtartaricacid(fromwinemakingresidues).

Jabirappliedhischemicalknowledgetotheimprovementofmanymanufacturingprocesses,suchasmakingsteelandothermetals,preventingrust,engravinggold,dyeingandwaterproofingcloth,tanningleather,andthechemicalanalysisofpigmentsandothersubstances.Hedevelopedtheuseofmanganesedioxideinglassmaking,tocounteractthegreentingeproducedbyironaprocessthatisstillusedtoday.Henotedthatboilingwinereleasedaflammablevapor,thuspavingthewaytoAlRazi'sdiscoveryofethanol.

Theseedsofthemodernclassificationofelementsintometalsandnonmetalscouldbeseeninhischemicalnomenclature.Heproposedthreecategories:"spirits"whichvaporiseonheating,likecamphor,arsenic,andammoniumchloride"metals",likegold,silver,lead,copper,andironand"stones"thatcanbeconvertedintopowders.

IntheMiddleAges,Jabir'streatisesonalchemyweretranslatedintoLatinandbecamestandardtextsforEuropeanalchemists.TheseincludetheKitabalKimya(titledBookoftheCompositionofAlchemyinEurope),translatedbyRobertofChester(1144)andtheKitabalSab'eenbyGerardofCremona(before1187).MarcelinBerthelottranslatedsomeofhisbooksunderthefancifultitlesBookoftheKingdom,BookoftheBalances,andBookofEasternMercury.SeveraltechnicaltermsintroducedbyJabir,suchasalkali,havefoundtheirwayintovariousEuropeanlanguagesandhavebecomepartofscientificvocabulary.

Contributionstoalchemy

JabirbecameanalchemistatthecourtofCaliphHarunalRashid,forwhomhewrotetheKitabalZuhra("TheBookofVenus",on"thenobleartofalchemy").

JabirstatesinhisBookofStones(4:12)that"ThepurposeistobaffleandleadintoerroreveryoneexceptthosewhomGodlovesandprovidesfor".Hisworksseemtohavebeendeliberatelywritteninhighlyesotericcode,sothatonlythosewhohadbeeninitiatedintohisalchemicalschoolcouldunderstandthem.ItisthereforedifficultatbestforthemodernreadertodiscernwhichaspectsofJabir'sworkaretobereadassymbols(andwhatthosesymbolsmean),andwhatistobetakenliterally.Becausehisworksrarelymadeovertsense,thetermgibberishisbelievedtohaveoriginallyreferredtohiswritings(Hauck,p.19).

Jabir'salchemicalinvestigationsostensiblyrevolvedaroundtheultimategoaloftakwintheartificialcreationoflife.TheBookofStonesincludesseveralrecipesforcreatingcreaturessuchasscorpions,snakes,andevenhumansinalaboratoryenvironment,whicharesubjecttothecontroloftheircreator.WhatJabirmeantbytheserecipesistodayunknown.

Jabir'sinterestinalchemywasprobablyinspiredbyhisteacherJa'faralSadiq,andhewashimselfcalled"theSufi",indicatingthathefollowedtheasceticformofmysticismwithinIslam.IbnHayyanwasdeeplyreligious,andrepeatedlyemphasizesinhisworksthatalchemyispossibleonlybysubjugatingoneselfcompletelytothewillofAllahandbecomingaliteralinstrumentofAllahonEarth,sincethemanipulationofrealityispossible

onlyforAllah.TheBookofStonesprescribeslongandelaboratesequencesofspecificprayersthatmustbeperformedwithouterroraloneinthedesertbeforeonecanevenconsideralchemicalexperimentation.AlchemyhadalongrelationshipwithShi'itemysticismaccordingtothefirstImam,AliibnAbiTalib,"alchemyisthesisterofprophecy".

Inhiswritings,JabirpaystributetoEgyptianandGreekalchemistsHermesTrismegistus,Agathodaimon,Pythagoras,andSocrates.Heemphasisesthelonghistoryofalchemy,"whoseoriginisArius...thefirstmanwhoappliedthefirstexperimentonthe[philosopher's]stone...andhedeclaresthatmanpossessestheabilitytoimitatetheworkingsofNature"(Nasr,SeyyedHossein,ScienceandCivilizationofIslam).

Jabir'salchemicalinvestigationsweretheoreticallygroundedinanelaboratenumerologyrelatedtoPythagoreanandNeoplatonicsystems.ThenatureandpropertiesofelementswasdefinedthroughnumericvaluesassignedtheArabicconsonantspresentintheirname,ultimatelyculminatinginthenumber17.

ToAristotelianphysics,Jabiraddedthefourpropertiesofhotness,coldness,dryness,andmoistness(Burkhardt,p.29).EachAristotelianelementwascharacterisedbythesequalities:Firewasbothhotanddry,earthcoldanddry,watercoldandmoist,andairhotandmoist.Thiscamefromtheelementaryqualitieswhicharetheoreticalinnatureplussubstance.Inmetalstwoofthesequalitieswereinteriorandtwowereexterior.Forexample,leadwascoldanddryandgoldwashotandmoist.Thus,Jabirtheorised,byrearrangingthequalitiesofonemetal,basedontheirsulfur/mercurycontent,adifferentmetalwouldresult.(Burckhardt,p.29)Thistheoryappearstohaveoriginatedthesearchforaliksir,theelusiveelixirthatwouldmakethistransformationpossiblewhichinEuropeanalchemybecameknownasthephilosopher'sstone.

Jabiralsomadeimportantcontributionstomedicine,astronomy,andothersciences.Onlyafewofhisbookshavebeeneditedandpublished,andfewerstillareavailableintranslation.TheGebercrater,locatedontheMoon,isnamedafterhim.

PopularCulture

*Thewordgibberishissometimestheorizedtobederivedfromhisname,[4]thoughsourcessuchastheOxfordEnglishDictionarysuggestitstemsfromgibber:However,thefirstknownrecordeduseoftheterm"gibberish"wasbeforethefirstknownrecordeduseoftheword"gibber".(SeeGibberish)

*GeberismentionedisPauloCoelho's1993bestseller,TheAlchemist.

Quotations

*"Thefirstessentialinchemistry,isthatyoushouldperformpracticalworkandconductexperiments,forhewhoperformsnotpracticalworknormakesexperimentswillneverattaintheleastdegreeofmastery."

*Hislaststatement:"Mywealthletsonsandbrethrenpart.Somethingstheycannotshare:myworkwelldone,mynobleheartthesearemineowntowear."

WhatothershavesaidaboutJabir

MaxMeyerhoff:"HisinfluencemaybetracedthroughoutthewholehistoriccourseofEuropeanalchemyandchemistry."

WritingsbyJabir

ThewritingsofJabirIbnHayyancanbedividedintofourcategories:

*The112BooksdedicatedtotheBarmakids,viziersofCaliphHarunalRashid.ThisgroupincludestheArabicversionoftheEmeraldTablet,anancientworkthatisthefoundationoftheHermeticor"spiritual"alchemy.IntheMiddleAgesitwastranslatedintoLatin(TabulaSmaragdina)andwidelydiffusedamongEuropeanalchemists.

*TheSeventyBooks,mostofwhichweretranslatedintoLatinduringtheMiddleAges.ThisgroupincludestheKitabalZuhra("BookofVenus")andtheKitabAlAhjar("BookofStones").

*TheTenBooksonRectification,containingdescriptionsof"alchemists"suchasPythagoras,Socrates,PlatoandAristotle.

*TheBooksonBalancethisgroupincludeshismostfamous'TheoryofthebalanceinNature'.

SomescholarssuspectthatsomeoftheseworkswerenotwrittenbyJabirhimself,butareinsteadcommentariesandadditionsbyhisfollowers.Inanycase,theyallcanbeconsideredworksofthe'Jabir'schoolofalchemy.

TranslationsJabir

*E.J.Holmyard(ed.)TheArabicWorksofJabiribnHayyan,translatedby

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RichardRusselin1678.NewYork,E.P.Dutton(1928)AlsoParis,P.Geuther.

*SyedNomanulHaq,Names,NaturesandThings:TheAlchemistsJabiribnHayyanandhisKitabalAhjar(BookofStones),[BostonStudiesinthePhilosophyofSciencep.158](Dordrecht:KluwerAcademicPublishers,1994).

*DonaldR.Hill,'TheLiteratureofArabicAlchemy'inReligion:LearningandScienceintheAbbasidPeriod,ed.byM.J.L.Young,J.D.LathamandR.B.Serjeant(CambridgeUniversityPress,1990)pp.328341,esp.pp3335.

*WilliamNewman,NewLightontheIdentityofGeber,SudhoffsArchiv,1985,Vol.69,pp.7690.

Source:wikipedia.org

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